Cartridge loader



Sept. 4, 1945. E. 1 SMITH ET Al. 2,384,140y

CARTRIDGE LOADER i Filed April 30, 1943 6 Sheets-Sheet 1-l QL/ae ATTORNEYS E. L. SMITH ETAL .sepf.'\4, 1945.

' CARTRIDGE LOADER Fiuled April 30, 1943 ,6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Sept. l4, 1945. E. SMITH ETAL Y 2,384,140

' CIIARTRIDGE LOADER v Filed April so, 1943 6 sheets-sheet `4 ATTORNEYS 6 Sheets-Sheet E; L. SMITH ETAL CARTRIDGE LOADER Filed April so, 194s sept. 4, 1945.

. mwn

Sept. 4, 1945. L. SMITH ET AL CARTRIDGE LOADER e sheets-sheet 6 Filed April 30, 1943 AMT 2 BYA/vo 'CA/wrm' hir/va Patented Sept. 4, 1945 Elmer Lovell Smith, Longmeadow, and *Carlton .I Wetsel, Springfield, Mass., assgnors to Package Machinery Company, Springfield, Mass., `a corporation of Massachusetts' Application April 30, 1943, Serial No. 485,182,Av Y

1o claims. (o1. sts-47) This invention relates to machines for filling clips with cartridges and has for its object the organization and combination of parts forsuch a machine as will be wholly automatic in its action,

'of relatively simple construction, efcient, certridges at the Vinfeedend andthe vcarrying away tain and economical in operation; and which will f perform its function of lling said clips at a high rate of speed. l

The particular embodiment of the invention hereinafter described is a machine designed for vlthe filling of cartridge clips which are used in the l Well known Springfield rifle. rIp'his type of clip is adapted to be lled from either end with a stack of ve cartridges in a single row. It is formed.

with a rigid base, slightly curved, and having comparatively low side walls within which is secured a spring tensioned member separate from the clip base to create pressure against the base ends of the cartridges andv hold them securely against the inturned edges of the clip side walls with a self-sustaining grip. Consequently, Vin i" When the clip has been assembled with the cartridges the machine will bend retaining lugs at the extreme ends of said clip in against the base ends of the cartridges and conne them to the clip and make out of this assembly a single packet or unit.

In its preferred form my machine is` designed to perform the several operations necessary for the lllng of such a clip, successively at several.

stations spaced apart.` Cartridges are fed from chutes adjacent a moving carrier into a plurality of pockets within said. carrier. The moving carrier may take various forms such as a turret drum, anvendless chain, or as here shown, a Ferris type of rotating wheel with a plurality of pockets disposed radially about its periphery for being carried past the aforesaid stations adjacent said moving carrier. yThe functional objective of the design is the provision in eiect of a continuous production train which will comprise various cooperating mechanisms at the several stations and which will require for its successful operation oi'lled clipsat-the discharge end.f

A"Ilie several advantages of the inventionwill become apparent from the followingdescription takenA in connection with the accompanying drawings which show the `preferred embodiment thereof, and in which Fig. 1 is av partial side view of the machine illustrating the location of vthe clip chuter and pusher mechanism in relation to the main pocket wheel and its discharge mechanism,V with the pocket wheel cover removed;

Fig. 2\is a fragmentary View of a portion of the pocket wheel showing the next step in filling the pockets of'thewheel;

Fig. 3 illustrates the drive mechanism pertaining to the several'parts shown in Fig. 1 and mounted inside the main frame; f

Fig. 4 isa partial side view of the machine withv thecover closed upon the main'pocket wheel as when the machine is in continuous operation;

Fig. 5 is a partial end' elevation,v with parts broken away, of the mechanism shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary'plan view of the cartridge guides above the main pocketfwheel with certain parts broken away;

Fig. 7 is a partial horizontal section taken through one of the'pockets: of the main pocket wheel at the `clip mounting station of operation;

Fig. 3 isa'fragmentary side elevation of the clip vchute;

merely a continuous supply of vclips and car- Fig. 9 is a V detail view taken onl line 9--9 of Fig; 8 showing means for guiding the clips;

Fig. 10 is a detail view'taken on the line IU-I of Fig. 8 also showing clip guiding means;

Fig. 11 isa detail taken on line lI-fl l of Fig.8 at the upper surface of the pusher and removable clip guide;

Fig. 12 is a partialjdetail taken substantially on line I2l2 of Figgll to illustrate the manner in which the .clip pusher acts against the metal clip portion and not the spring mechanism lof said C1p;` M

Fig. 13`is a partial side"` elevation, withV parts broken away, ofthe main pocket wheel'atthe cli mounting station andvwith parts broken away from the lowermost portion of the clip chute so as toexpose the pusher; n

l Fig. 14 is a fragmentary View of the coverto the main pocket wheel, as shown in Fig. 4, showingv that portion of said cover with parts mounted for performing the last' operation on' *the* clip for securely holding the cartridgesfin place; and

Fig.`15 shows an end View of thefcartridgesand clip combined to form asingle packet orunit.

Referring more particularly to the drawings it will be understood that the machine will comprise a suitable supporting frame, generally indicated at I. 'Upon this frame there is mounted for step by step operation a pocket Wheel 2, its rotating supporting shaft being indicated at 3.

Referring to Fig. 3,;the drive shaft 4, which is driven by any suitable means, has mounted upon it gear which meshes with large gear 6 and in turn drives shaft 1, supported by frame I, and upon which is mounted a crank 8 (Fig. V1) connected by a link 9 to a sliding member I0 supported by rod I I mounted in suitable supporting bearings I2 comprising part ofa bracket I3. This I bracket carries upon itself Ya guide member I4 suitably mounted to be straddled by a forked portion I5 of sliding member I0 soasto keep `pusher I6, which is mounted on the sliding member, in proper alignment with certain pocketsl of 'the pocket wheel and the clip chute. Horizontal adjusting means of pusher I6 is provided by set screw Il with locking vmeans I8 to hold it in proper adjustment.

A sprocket I9 on shaft .'I drives chain'20 which. in turn drives sprockets Y2l and 22 continuously (Fig. 3). Sprocket'ZI is fastened to shaft 23, journaled inthe main frame, and carries a Geneva crank`2'4 which turns continuously. Roll 25 on said `crank engagesgrooves 26 of the Geneva 21 as vthe locking means 28 is disengaged from recess 29 so as to allow the Geneva to turn. Geneva 2l, .being secured to the pocket wheel supporting shaft .3, thus turns said pocket wheel 2 in the direction of arrow (Fig. 3) in a step by step motion as is well knownin the art.

Shaft '3Il-crries upon it escapement actuating cams 3i and 32 Aon the inside of main frame I, and on the outside this shaft is extended to support discharge belt pulley 33 .upon which is a.

discharge .belt 34v which travels continuously to carryaw-ay filled clips to be packed for shipment or immediate use. Stud shaft 35 supported by fra'rnelI carries bell `cranks 36 and 3.1 respectively.` .Roll 38 on bell ,crank 36 engages cam 3| while roll 39 is actuated by cam 32 for operating. the cartridge escapements inthe feed chutes.

Shaft 4D, supported 'by bracket 4I on main frame .I, has secured toit a member 42 which carries escapement 43 and which projects into cartridge chute indicated generally at 44 to hold or release cartridges in proper timed relation with thepockets of. pocket wheel 2 as it is rotated step by step. Shaft 40 has an arm 45 (Fig. 3) which is connected by adjustable link 46 to bell .crank 36. Springs 48 and 49 tend to keep pin5il inthe uppermost ,portion of radial slot 5I in block 52 on link 46. When cam 3l contacts roll 38 so as torelease escapement 43 from under cartridges C, which have been aligned and Vfed into chute 4'4 by any suitable automatic means not described, the .first movement of pin 50 carried by bell crank 36 will be of lost motion when suddenly -it will come t0 the end of radial slot 5I and therefore jerk .link 46 and turn shaft 40 so as to withdraw escapement 43 rapidly and cause cartridges to drop suddenly and vertically into the empty pocket such as R awaiting them in pocket wheel 2. The same procedure will be carried out in operating escapement 55 which controls Athe movement of cartridges previously fed automatically or otherwise into a second chute indicated generally at .56 for `movement intozpockets in pocket wheel 2. Cam 32 will contact `roll 39 onbell crank .3T and cause link -5-1 to jerk lever 58 and turn shaft 59 rapidly and therefore move escapement 55 out from under cartridges stored in chute 56 and cause them to drop suddenly and vertically into the empty pocket awaiting them in pocket wheel 2, the same as cartridges in chute 44 were controlled. By securing cams 3| and 32 on shaft 36 in a position apart from each other, the escapements 43 and 55 are caused to `workvalternately. The escapements working alternately will ll alvternate pockets of the pocket wheel.

In Fig. l escapement 55 has just stopped cartridges from dropping and pocket P has been filled. VEscapementliZ-l is holding cartridges from dropping and pocket wheel 2 is now ready to turn immediately. .Pocket wheel will be turned in the direction of arrow (Fig. 1) by Geneva crank 24 previously described. Pocket S was lled and cartridges have been held back by escapement 43 previous to filling pocket P before pocket wheel wasmoved to the position shown in Fig. l, and now'sai'd .pocket S' restsat an intermediate 'position between the two lling stations.

In Fig. 2, pocket wheel '.2' has been moved and' stopped with pocket Q in under `escapement 43 and pocket S is under escapement 55. Escape` ment 4'3 has allowed five cartridges to drop into pocket Q and is now holding the remainder in chute 44. Escapement 55 is stillholding cartridges in chute 56 until pocket wheel has vbeen moved and stoppedagain with .pocket R directly underneath and at that time escapement 55 will be withdrawn and the pocketV R will be filled, therefore completing. the cycle. 'Therefore we have escapements 43 and 5,5 working alternately to fill Valternate pockets in. pocket wheelZ which gives more time for lling chutes 44 and 56 with cartridges and assuring a continuous supply to the escapementsso that the machine will con` tinue to run accurately at kitsmost efcient speed.

'From the cartridge `filling stations Yjust described, the Apocket wheel moves step by step une tilthe cartridges in each successive'pocket come inia'lignment intermittently vone after the other with. their .clip whichl has' been fed into the clip chute and has dropped down in front of the pusher I6l whose reciprocating action has beenl previously4 described, and is timed so as to provideV one clip foreach set of ve cartridges held in each pocket of the pocket wheel 2.:

y In vfeeding these cartridgesto the several pockets in the'pocket wheel it is essentialto have the cartridges .guided inperfectpalignment so that each cartridge will be grasped by the clip when it isjpushed over their base ends 'at the clipat# taching station, Aas shown iniFig. '7, and which will be described later. Y

As shown more particularly in Fig. A6, the cartridge chute 44,is made up of a pair of rails'rserving as front guides 44" vand a ypair of rails serving as rear guides 4.4. Similarly the-chute 56 comprises a pair of front guides 56" and a'pair of rear guides 56'. vFront guidesV 44" and 56"., shown as inthe foreground ,in Fig. '6, guide the base .ends of all cartridges on ytheir way down to the escapements 43 Vand 55 respectively. The rear guides 44 and 56' are'provide'd with bevel surfaces 44b and A561i respectively. The shoulders of the vcartridges slider against these bevel surfaces on'their way into the pocket wheel, end play being kept to a .minimum'by end guides 60 (Figs. 4 and 5) supported fromguide brackets 6 I' mounted on cover v62,.shown.i'nclosed position in Eigfl. Y y

Acylindrical housing -65-encloses1the periphery of the pocket wheel 2. T-slots 66 and 61 provide openings in the housing 65 to receive the cartridges and their escapements 43 and 55 as shown'lin Fig. 6; The cover B2 is closed and fastened by wing nut 68 while the machine is in operation. A hole 99 in cover 62 allows shaft 3 and nut 63 to protrude.

The 'pocket wheel 2 comprises a solid hub portion B8 securely fastened to supporting shaft 3 which is rotated step by step as previously described. Secured to hub 68' by screws 69 are two faceplates I and These two plates 10 and 1| are slotted sixteen times to provide pockets for receiving the cartridges and earryingrthem to their successive stations for the application of the clip and their ejection as a unit onto the discharge belt which carries them from thevmachine. At the bottom of these several pockets is provided a hardened block 'I2 to withstand the dropping of the cartridges into place and to provide a tapered seat which corresponds to an opposed tapered portion 'I3 of housing -65,and conforms exactly to the shape of the group Yof five cartridges as they are held firmly in alignment for the application of the clip 66 over their base ends as shown in Fig. '7.

`As described before, the cartridges are guided by bevel portions Mb and 56h on guides M and 56 'respectively and by end guides 60. When they are transferred into the pocket wheel 2 their l guiding surfaces then become the beveled edges 'I5 of pocket slot in inner face plate and edges ofthe pocket slot in outer face plate I0 of the pocket wheel, and the inner surface I6 of the cover 62 serves as an end guide. f lAs the pocket wheel stops with the cartridges at the clip receiving stationQas shown in Fig. 7, the ends of the cartridges ride up onto a springpressed plate 'I'I which assures the abutment of their shoulders against the beveled edges l5 of the pocket slot in plate II by pushing against them simultaneously. Plate 'I1 is supported by two plunger type bolts 'I8 which are both pressed inwardly toward the pocket wheel by springs 19 housed in recesses 80 and 8| in member 82 which is securedto the front of cover 82 by bolts 83 as shown in-Fig. 4; Nuts and lock nuts 84 of the bolts 18 prevent plate 'I'I from extending too'far in toward the pocket wheel 2 when no cartridges are against it. Adjustment of Vthis plate T! may be accomplished with the rangement. u

With the pocket wheel stopped'at the clip ap# plyjin'g station and the cartridges held firmly in plac inthe pocket wheel with pressure'plate ll' holding their base ends in proper alignment, they nut and lock nutv ar-V are now ready to receive their supporting clip y which, when installed', will tie them together into one compact unit.'

Theclip chute 85 (Fig. 8) is constructed of a front plate 88 and rear guide pieces 01 held: in spaced relation with .each other by spacers 88 at theupper end ofthe chute and secured by cap screws 89 to a supporting pad 90 Yprojecting from pocket wheel housing |55. This chute is constructed togive the clips sucient room to drop vertically and pile up upon themselves. The shape of therear guide pieces 81 (Fig. 9) 'conforms generally as at 9| to the shape of the upturned sides 92 lof the clip 66 and grooves 94 on each end have been provided for the free movement of the retaining lugs 95 at each end of the clip. Ther bottom portion 95 of the clip is slightly curved` to conform to the generallshape taken bythebase ends of the cartridges when they are held firmly together as in Fig. 7.

At the lower end of the clip chute (Fig. 10) a lower clip guide 98 in a solid piece replaces the upper guides 8`| at the top of the chute. A beveled surface 99 of this lower guide 98 directs the clips toward the front plate 86 thereby giving them less leeway for free movement so as to align them at the bottom of the clip chute in position to be engaged by the pusher I6.

At the bottom of the chute and towards the front, a removable clip guide |00 is Iheld in place by an L-shaped clamp I0| (Fig. '7). This clamp IUI is freely mounted upon pocket wheel cover hinge pin |02 for vertical movement thereon. A tongue |03 on clamp I0'I engages a groove |04 in the end of removable guide |00 (Figs. 7 and ll). A winged nut |95 threaded into clamp I0| is tightenedlto secure removable clip guide |00 in place. Hinge pin |02 serves as a fulcrum as winged nut |05 is tightened and presses tongue |03 of clamp IIJI against groove |05 in removable guide |00 to hold it securely in place.

Should a clip Ibecome lodged for any reason at the bottom of this chute, or a faulty clip be disconnected in the chute, lower clip guide |00 may be removed by loosening Winged nut |05 and slid ing clamp |0| down hinge pin |02 until tongue |03 has disengaged groove 04 in said lower guide 00. Guide |00 may then be pulled forward from out of the notch II 0 which is formed between the lower end of guide 98 and the flange portion I of supporting pad (Fig. 8). In reassembling, removable guide |00 is set into place and clamp I 0| is slid up the hinge pin |02 until it strikes a collar |03 which is fastened onto cover hinge pin |02. At this position, winged nut |05 is securely tightened and the clip chute is made ready for guiding and dispensing clips again.

The clips fall -onto the bottom of the chute represented -by surface |I2 of removable guide I 00 (Figs. 8, 1l and 13). The pusher I8 advances as described earlierdn the description and is so constructed that it pushes against the body portion 3 of the clip (Figs. ll and l2) and not against the spring steel sub-base H4. The subbase I I4Y of the clip 86 is of spring tempered material and only held in place on the clip base 98 by small ears ||5 punched'up enough to strike against slotted portions IIS of clip ibase 96. Cartridge retaining lugs are formed out of each end of this sub-baser I I4. A slot |28 is milled out of the back of pusher I5 so as to allow' suflicient clearancev for retaining lugs 95 and not cause them to be bent when the pusher contacts the clip and pushes it over the ends of the cartridges. Should ythis spring piece ill become dislodged from its proper position on clip 66 the cartridge retaining lugs would not be in their proper position for the nal operation of the machine and damage to the clip would result.

Another clearance groove |22 (Fig. 11) 'is formed in the end nearest the pocket wheel of removable clip guide |00 so that the retaining lugs 95 0n the clip may pass freelythrough it and not be damaged as the pocket wheel turns after the clip 66 has been pushed over the base ends of the cartridges (Fig. 13). A further clip guiding member |25 is provided on the leading end of pusher I6 (Figs. l1, l2, and 13) and it underlies the curved undercut portion |28 of removable guide |00 (Figs. 8 and 11) for further positive control of the clip 85 as it is pushed out of they guide |00 and onto the base ends of the cartridges as shown in dotted lines in Fig. l1.

As the back or bottom S6 iof the clip passes along between the base ends of the Cartridges and the pressure plate 4'|'| (Fig. "7) the'spring member l resists the entrance of the cartridges because of its spring tempered character. Thus a substantial push by the pusher I6 is needed, requiring the described precautions to properly guide the clips so they will be secured to the base ends of the cartridges by the extractor grooves with the greatest Yprecision,so that the machine may continue to run accurately andefiicien-tly at a high rate of speed for maximum production. As will be seen in Fig. the lower edges of the irl-turned sides-92 of the clip engage the extractor grooves of the cartridges to lhold them in the clip while the spring tempered subbase number |64 continually presses the vbase ends of the ve cartridges simultaneously against the lower edges of the in-turned clip sides to make a self sustaining unit or packet.

As the pusher l5 pushes one clip onto the base ends of the cartridges therefore engaging the extractor grooves of the cartridges simultaneously, the other clips ride on top of it and the one in direct contact with the pusher falls in front of it and is pushed from under the others by -the pusher on its next `forward stroke. The pusher will again return as the pocket wheel advances and on the next stroke forward, with the pocket wheel again at rest, another clipwill be forwarded by the pusher and the rest of the clips will be held back and above the pusher as' before (Fig. 13). With the clip in its proper place on the base ends of the cartridges where the pusher l5 left it, and with the pusher on its return stroke (Fig. 13), the pocket wheel will` now turn step by step until the cartridges with their respective clips are delivered onto the discharge belt as completed units. l

To make a complete unit, retaining lugs 95 must be bent upwards toward the cartridges as shown in Fig. 15. To accomplish lthis, inside and outside lug folders and |3| respectively are provided through .openings |32 and |33 respectively in cover 62. Bolts |34 and |35 secure lug folders |30 and i3! respectively to cover 52 for quick remo-val and replacement when signs of wear appear. As the pocket wheel 2 turns with the cartridges and their respective clips mounted upon them, lugs 95 on the ends of said clips come in contact with the inner and outer lug folders |39 and |3| respectively (Figs. 5 and 14). These stationary folders are shaped by grinding so as to bend the lugs 95 toward the' cartridges at right angles tothe clip base 96.

In Fig. 14 it will be noticed that dotted arrows indicate the path.` of the clips, rst from the pusher in against the spring pressure plate 11; then as the pocket wheel turns step by step they bear against the inner surface 16 of cover 52, past the lug folders |30 and |3| and on to the discharge station, being supported by the cartridges as they are carried along in the pockets of the pocket wheel to said station.

The housing 55 is cut away as at |37 to allow the cartridge assembly to fall on-to the discharge belt Sli moving continuously below this opening. Should anything happen that may cause them to become lodged in the pocket, in pocket wheel 2, so as not to drop freely, a stationary cam |46 secured by bolts 14| to the housing 65 is positioned centrally of all pockets so that by the turning of the pocket wheel, the cartridges will definitely be cammed out of each pocket between the guides |42 and onto the discharge belt 34 (Fig. 1) therefore assuring the clearance of said pockets for the entrance of more cartridges as the pockets come in alignmentvwith the cartridge feed chutes again.

It will be understood that this machine will operate continuously as long as clips are supplied to the clip chute and cartridges are supplied to the chutes 44 and Sii. known stop mechanism may be provided if de sired for eifecting an automatic stopping of the machine whenever there is a failure in-the supply of either cartridges or clips.

What we claim is:

l. A loading machine for clips having a curved channeled base with cartridge retaining side lips and end lugs and a spring backing plate within the channel, comprising a radially slotted carrier rotatable on a horizontal axis, means for rotating the carrier step by step, a yplurali-ty of cartridge guides, mechanism for releasing a set of cartridges from each guide into alternate slots, a guide surrounding the carrier and a guide at the base of each slot coacting to hold vthe set closely assembled, one side of each slot being shouldered to engage the shoulders of the cartridges, a spring pressed block at one rest station of the carrier having a beveled portion to engage the bases of a set of cartridges simultaneously and hold them in engagement with said shoulders to bring their bases into alignment, a clip guide in alignment with the slot at said rest station, a magazine supplying clips to said guide, a plunger having a-clip engaging end shaped to engage the ends of the base of the clip only, means to advance the plunger toremove a clip from the magazine and slide its channeled sides over the bases of the aligned cartridges in the slot, a pair of plow folders located adjacent the carrier and engageable with said end lugs to fold them against the walls of the end cartridges of each set, and an opening in said surrounding guide for the discharge .of loaded clips therefrom.

2. A loading machine for clips having a curved channeled base with cartridge retaining side lips and end lugs and a spring backing plate within the channel, comprising a radially slotted carrier, means for rotating the carrier step by step, means for introducing a set of cartridges into each slot, a guide surrounding the carrier and a guide at the base of each slot coacting to hold the set closely assembled, one side of each slot being shouldered to engage the shoulders of the cartridges, a spring pressed block at one rest station of the carrier having a beveled portion to engage the bases of a set of cartridges simultaneously and hold them in engagement with said shoulders to bring their bases into alignment, a lclip guide in alignment with the slot at said rest station, and a plunger operable to force a clip 'along the guide and Ibetween the cartridge bases and said spring pressed block with the side lips entering the extracting grooves of the cartridges.

3. A loading machine for clips having a curved channeled base with cartridge retaining side lips and end lugs and a spring backing plate within the channel, comprising a radially slotted car rier, means for rotating the carrier step by step, means for introducing a set of cartridges into each slot, a guide surrounding the carrier and a guide at the base of each slot coacting to hold the set closely assembled, one side of each slot being shouldered to engage the shoulders of the cartridges, a spring pressed block at one rest sta- Suitable well tion of the carrier having a beveled portion to engage the bases of a set of cartridges simultaneously and hold them in engagement with said shoulders to bring their bases into alignment, a clip guide in alignment with the slot at said rest station, a plunger operable to force a clip along the guide and between the cartridge bases and said spring pressed block with the side lips entering the extracting grooves of the cartridges, and means for turning the end lugs against the walls of the end cartridges of the set.

4. A loading machine for clips having a channeled base with cartridge retaining side lips, comprising means for holding a set of cartridges including guides engaging the shouldered portions of the cartridges and a spring pressed backing block engaging the bases of the cartridges to hold them in alignment, and means for forcing a clip between the bases of the cartridges and said block with the lips nentering the extracting grooves of the cartridges.

5. A loading machine for clips, comprising a rotatable Wheel having a plurality of circumferentially spaced pockets, means for intermittently rotatingv said wheel, two sets of mechanism for placing sets of cartridges alternately in successive pockets, and a single mechanism for applying clips to sets of cartridges in successive pockets.

6. A loading machine for channeled clips having side lips, comprising a Wheel having a plurality of circumferentially spaced pockets, means for rotating the Wheel step by step, one ormore cartridge chutes having rails for guiding the cartridges by their sides, bases and shoulders to a point adjacent the periphery of the Wheel, escapement mechanism forreleasing a set of cartridges to pass into a pocket when the Wheel is at rest, guide members associated with the wheel to guide the sets of cartridges by their sides and shoulders, and means operable at a rest station of the pockets for sliding a clip over the bases of the cartridges of a set.

7. A loading machine for channeled clips having side lips, comprising a Wheel having a plurality of circumferentially spaced pockets, means for rotating the Wheel step by step, one or more cartridge chutes having rails for guiding the cartridges by their sides, bases and shoulders to a point adjacent the periphery of the wheel, escapement mechanism for releasing a set of cartridges to pass into a pocket when the wheel is at rest, guide members associated with the Wheel to guide the sets of cartridges by their sides and shoulders, a spring pressed backing block at a rest station of the pockets to engage the bases of a set of cartridges, and means to slide a clip between the bases of the cartridges and said block With the channel embracing the bases and the side lips engaging the extracting groove of the cartridges.

8. A loading machine for channeled clips having side lips, and bendable end lugs, comprising a Wheel having a plurality of cincumferentially spaced pockets, means for rotating the wheel step by step, one or more cartridge chutes having rails for guiding the cartridges by their sides, bases and shoulders to a point adjacent the periphery of the Wheel, escapement mechanism for releasing a set of cartridges to pass into a pocket when the wheel is at rest, guide members associated with the Wheel to guide the sets of cartridges by their sides and shoulders, a spring pressed backing block at a rest station of the pockets to engage the bases of a set of cartridges, means to slide a clip between the bases of the cartridges and said block with the channel embracing the bases and the side lips engaging the extracting groove of the cartridges, and means operable to bend said end lugs against the end cartridges of each set.

9. A clip loading machine comprising a drumlike pocket wheel having a plurality of pockets therein, each pocket extending radially inward from an opening at the peripheral surface of said drum and also having a side opening at one side face of said drum, means for rotating said pocket wheel in a step by step manner, cartridge feed mechanism operating to iill each pocket through its peripheral opening with a set of cartridges having their bases in alignment and projecting from the side opening of said pocket, a pusher for sliding a clip over the projecting bases of the cartridges while in said pocket, and mechanism for bending lugs on the clip adjacent the cartridges at each end of the set to hold the set and the clip in assembled relation.

10. A clip loading machine comprising a drumlike pocket wheel having a plurality of pockets therein, each pocket extending radially inwardA from an opening at the peripheral surface of said drum and also having a side opening at one side face of said drum, means for rotating said pocket Wheel in a step by step manner, cartridge feed mechanism operating to ll each pocket through its peripheral opening with a set of cartridges having their bases in alignment and projecting from the side opening of said pocket, and a pusher for sliding a clip over the projecting bases 0f the cartridges while in said pocket.

ELMER LOVELL SMITH.

CARLTON WETSEL. 

